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United Kingdom—Hollywood actress Kelly Preston presented a check for £50,000 ($82,000) to the Sussex Air Ambulance Service on behalf of the L. Ron Hubbard Foundation and the Church of Scientology at the 12th annual Gala Charity Concert at Saint Hill, in East Grinstead.

More than 1,500 enjoyed the concert and gave their support, including mayors, district council chairmen, town councilors, and community leaders from all over the south of England. Representatives from a wide variety of embassies attended, including Cameroon, Bulgaria, Vietnam, Fiji, South Africa, and Liberia. Other guests flew in from around Europe and as far away as the United States and Canada.

The event covered a wide spectrum of music, from rock legend Edgar Winter, to Academy Award nominated film composer Mark Isham, Australian pop superstar Kate Ceberano, the "Italian Queen of Jazz" Elena Roggero, drummer Woody Woodmansey (best known for his years with David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars), and the UK's top jive band, the Jive Aces. Ms. Preston was the Master of Ceremonies.

The Sussex Air Ambulance Service is a registered charity, which provides helicopter emergency medical service and air ambulance service to Sussex, Kent and Surrey counties. Attending an average of four incidents every day with a team of highly skilled doctors, paramedics and nurses, Sussex Air Ambulance Service is funded entirely by voluntary donations. Flying at over 150 miles per hour, the Ambulance can reach any part of Sussex within 15 minutes and can transport patients to the nearest major hospital or specialist unit in a fraction of the time taken by land ambulance.

The Sussex Air Ambulance Service Chief Executive, Mr. Dave Philpott, and some of his staff and crew were invited onto the stage to accept the check for £50,000 from Ms. Preston and Mr. Bob Keenan, Director of the L. Ron Hubbard Foundation. "That will enable us to save 50 lives," said Mr. Philpott "so you should all be proud of yourselves."

Over the years, the Saint Hill Gala Charity Concert has supported numerous charities, from the Royal National Lifeboat Institute and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals to the National Drug Prevention Alliance and the Bluebell Railway Trust. The charity concert carries on the tradition of supporting local charities—a tradition begun by L. Ron Hubbard when he resided at Saint Hill Manor in the 1960's.

The Gala Concert was the final event of a three-day jam-packed weekend of activities at the Church of Scientology UK headquarters, attended by over 7,000 people from around the world. The activities included conferences and seminars for parishioners and community leaders, encompassing the Church of Scientology's social betterment programs in the areas of human rights, drug education, common sense morals, and its volunteer ministry.